He writes: Chris FischerThrilled you are a fan of OCEARCH
work. My wife and I personally funded the expedition that tagged
Bruce. Amusing how you fail to mention the crew and capacity that
created the data you feel is so important. Domeier simply stepped down
tagged the shark
then got out of the way. The crew did everything else to safely tag
and release Bruce! Additionally, you know the sharks are returning now
after shedding the tags with their fins healed up doing well yet you
continue to let the others bash... We have spoken to the researchers
using the 1 bolt method.. they are uncertain how well it's going to work
long term as well the increase in bio-fouling from all the different
cracks and crevices created by the mount. We have requested Wildlife
Computers to try to design a modified mounting system... But as you
already know, this is not required as they shed the tags after 5yrs or
so and heal up nicely. You should watch Mary Lee on the Global Shark
Tracker. She is getting ready to repeat the success we had at Guadalupe
Island by documenting the 1st full female mature white shark migration
in the N Atlantic. Soon we will know where they are mating/birthing
etc... just like out where you profit from cage diving at GI. I figure
our work is the best chance you got at being able to own a
multi-generational business. Acting like we don't exist is amateurish
and rude. We are currently on Expedition off West Australia where we
have tagged 20 Tiger Sharks to solve the same puzzle as we did in GI to
create a future for sharks here.
Please forgive me Chris, I had no idea that I would hurt your feelings by writing about a celebrity without mentioning you. How rude of me. So since your feelings are hurt by me not mentioning you, let me respond to what you are saying.

1. I don't quite get why you think I'm a fan of OCEARCH

2. Your wife and you financed the expedition that tagged Bruce. I never wrote anything about who financed that expedition, or why that is even relevant, but since you claim you did, let me also state what Dr. Domeier said about that.

Yes, he paid for 2 trips to Guadalupe, but
then struck a TV deal that allowed him to recoup those costs as he was
getting $400K/episode.

We were able to make multiple episodes from a
single trip. Furthermore, I tapped two other private foundations to
help pay for the tags and research; financial support that he never
acknowledges. Fischer was fairly paid for all of the work we did
together… this was not a huge philanthropic venture. On the contrary, he
made it clear: “no cameras no trips.” The huge $$ figure he throws
around must be for the entire operating cost of his ship and production
company for each year he was making these television shows. But that’s
not a fair way to account for the actual cost of the research (a
fraction of the yearly operating budgets were due to the handful of
research trips)… and he never discusses the INCOME. Any real accountant
would tally just the costs of the specific trips… or think like this:
what would it cost to charter a vessel for each research trip, and then
subtract the income! Perhaps he took a loss, I don’t know; my
organization took a financial loss… but no way did either of us wrack up
losses in the millions.

OK, and the research paper appeared out of thin air? My advise to you would be this. Make it about the sharks instead of
about you. You and I are not important, saving the sharks is. Your need
to be seen as a shark expert is not important. You provide a platform
for the researchers, they are the experts. Why do you feel the need to
belittle what they do? Catching and tagging the sharks is a means to an
end. The end is the research and that is what the researchers do. For example, I
collect photos at Guadalupe Island for Nicole Nasby-Lucas. She is doing
the research for the photo ID's. I have nothing to do with that. If
someone mentions her research, there is no need for them to say anything
about me, or anyone else who gave her the pictures.

4. You write that I know that Bruce has been returning safely to Guadalupe every year. Ah, why do you think I don't know that? I have always stated that the second generation tags, that Bruce and Bite Face were fitted with, have fallen off and there is little damage to their fins. I even put a picture of Bruce into the blog, that shows him after he lost the transmitter.

5. I let others bash you? Well, for one, how can I control what others do? Actually, I'm trying to tell others to keep an open mind. I wrote the following in my blog

"All the tagging done in a year, may cause harm to a few
hundred sharks. Again, that's a few hundred, vs. 30-100 MILLION sharks
killed annually.

If the protests succeed and there is no more tagging, at best we could
save a few sharks every year and make life easier (no tags, no deformed
dorsal fin etc.) for a few more. On the other hand, we could also loose
valuable data, that may help save sharks. You decide, if it is
worthwhile to focus on this. Personally I think we need to weigh the
importance of the data collected against the potential harm to the
sharks."

My beef with you has always been about lifting the sharks out of the
water and not improving your methods. It's no longer necessary to lift
them out, as Dr. Domeier has shown. I have defended your early work by
saying that the Wright brothers didn't invent an A380 either. Pictures like this should only come from the past by now.

Do you have any idea how many people bash me, for not outright condemning anything you do? I hurt your feelings by not defending everything you do and mentioning your name every time I write about something that was connected to you. The blog you are referring to in your comment was about the real celebrities at Guadalupe Island, the sharks, not you.

5. I am acting like you don't exist? How can you say I act like you don't exist and on the other hand criticize what I say about you?

If you start to improve your methods of catching sharks and attaching the transmitters, I will give you credit for that. If you start giving some credit to the researchers who are doing the actual studies, instead of promoting yourself as the shark expert, I promise to write an entire blog, promoting the new and improved Chris Fischer.

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark DiverAbout Shark Diver.
As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

We are used to the media using sensationalistic headlines when covering anything to do with sharks. "Jaws" "Monster" "Beast" "Mankiller" etc. are no unusual terms in those headlines.
This is the second time this year that we have to give kudos to a news outlet. The Daily Mail has a headline that says: Forget Jaws! Sharks can SAVE lives! You read that right, no scare tactic, no monsters, .... actually OK, they did mention monsters, but not the way we are used to either. The second part of their headline reads: We think of them as monsters, but a new documentary reveals they could help us fight cancer and Alzheimer's

The
movie masterpiece, which is 40 years old this summer, led to many a
phobia, but according to a new three-part BBC1 documentary Shark, its
toothy star isn’t that terrifying in real-life.

The article is talking about a documentary series "Sharks", the BBC has produced and it covers a lot of different sides of sharks. They write about the scientific discoveries we made that could mean sharks can help with various human diseases, like Alzheimer's. It is also covering a bunch of different shark species and is giving some very good information on sharks.

About Shark Diver.
As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

The world is full of celebrities, but how often do you actually get to meet them and spend some quality time with them?Over the past 14 years, I've been privileged to do just that. I've met many stars of film and TV at Guadalupe Island. Stars like the incomparable "Shredder" "Bruce" "Jaques" "Lucy" "Scarboard" etc. All of those sharks have been featured in countless shark week episodes and their pictures are all over the internet. They truly are the rock-stars of Guadalupe Island.

I have talked about "Shredder" here and "Chugey's" amazing recovery from a huge bite here and here.

Today I want to introduce you to "Bruce", another regular at Guadalupe Island. Bruce has been around since we started shark diving at Guadalupe. When we first encountered him, he was just a "little" teenager, probably not much longer than 11-12'. Of course we had no idea that we would see him year after year and that he would grow into one of the larger males at the Island. He is now on the north side of 16' and one of the dominant shark at the site.

Bruce saying hello to Whitney, one of our divers!

Bruce is also the shark who got me interested in shark research. I have to admit, that reading scientific papers held about as much excitement to me as watching grass grow. It simply wasn't my thing. When Dr. Domeier tagged Bruce with a satellite transmitter and used some of the data it produced for his paper on white shark migration, Nicole Nasby-Lucas, who works with Dr. Domeier and is responsible for the Guadalupe photo ID database, gave me a copy of the research paper. I started reading it, and realized that this paper was not just a research paper, but more like Bruce's travel journal. It was exciting to find out where he was going, when not at Guadalupe and what he was doing. Who knew that he was vacationing near Hawaii?! I mean, who wouldn't want to vacation there?

Even though he is one of the more mellow sharks around, being a great white shark and male, Bruce was not averse to a little fighting here and there. I remember one particular morning. I was just getting into the cages to sort out all the regulators, when I noticed some movement behind me. I turned and saw Bruce who looked me straight into the eyes. He sported a huge bite injury, just in front of his gills, with a hole that let me look straight through it and out his mouth. The amazing thing was, it didn't seem to bother him. He just kept swimming around and stayed active, like nothing had happened.

Bruce about a week after the bite.

Just like Chugey, when he came back the following year, his wound was closed and there was barely a scar to indicate that he was ever injured.

Bruce with his closed bite injury.

So that is Bruce.

Since we started shark diving at Guadalupe Island, we have met over 160 different individual sharks. Who is going to be back this year? Who is going to make their first appearance? Come join us and find out! This is your chance to meet these celebrities up close and personal. They do pose for pictures with you! Next time you watch shark week, you can say, "Hey, I know that guy!"

We run our trips from August through November and have a few spaces left for this coming season. We even have a couple of spaces open on our research trip on November 11. On that trip you'll get to meet the researcher who knows all about those sharks, Nicole Nasby-Lucas, along with all the rock-star white sharks of Guadalupe Island. Call us at 619.887.4275 or email staff@sharkdiver.com for more information.

About Shark Diver.
As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Friday, May 1, 2015

DaShark, through his blog, just made me aware of something that is happening in Florida right now. Apparently shore fishermen are (legally) fishing for pregnant bull sharks. A lot of those sharks, even if released will die, along with their pups. This is nothing new, it's been going on for years.

I know a lot of you who are reading this, are living in Florida. If you want to do something to help those sharks, this is your chance. Talk to your legislators, educate those fishermen, find out what groups are already working there and how you can help.

According to the Keys Info Net, Everglades National Park managers have the ability to declare an
emergency rule to restrict access when protected species are found
breeding in an area,"So call or write the Everglades National Park manager. Read Key Info Net's entire article http://www.keysnet.com/2015/04/29/502450_dying-sharks-off-lower-matecumbe.html?rh=1
Pupping season is right now! The sharks need your help, do what you can! If you can, go to that beach at night and talk to the fishermen, let them know, why it is not a good idea to target those sharks. Remember, you will have a better chance of convincing them, if you are polite.

About Shark Diver.
As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.